Category: Diet and Weight Loss

Pregnancy not only comes with excitement, it also comes with some negative side effects, such as heartburn. Even if you never had heartburn before pregnancy, certain foods can trigger pregnancy heartburn. The good news – there are a few natural remedies that can help.

Coconut Water

Coconut water is a natural acid neutralizer. Instead of taking over the counter medicine, try drinking coconut water for immediate and easy pregnancy heartburn relief.

Eating for two can be stressful. It’s important to know what foods give you the most nutrients so your baby can grow at a healthy rate. Pick and choose some of these foods for a nutritional boost during pregnancy.

Eggs

Eggs contain more than 12 vitamins and minerals in addition to a lot of healthy protein. Aside from health benefits, eggs are cheap and convenient. If you don’t feel like cooking a full meal, scrambled eggs, steam basted eggs and hard boiled eggs are a great option.

Greek Yogurt

All yogurt contains a decent amount of protein, but Greek yogurt usually has twice the amount of protein as regular yogurt. During pregnancy, if you don’t take in enough calcium, the amount of calcium you do take in will go to your baby, reducing the calcium in your bones and teeth.

Lean Meats

Meat contains a lot of high quality protein, but it’s important to look for the right kinds of meat. When shopping for red meat, try to find foods that are at least 95 percent fat-free. Beef and pork are the best meats to eat during pregnancy because they contain both protein and choline, which aids in the overall growth and brain health of your baby.

Whole Grains

One of the best whole grains to eat during pregnancy is popcorn. Popcorn is high in fiber and nutrients. Other tasty whole grain foods include oatmeal, barley and quinoa.

Beans

Black beans, pinto beans and chick peas contain the most fiber and protein of all the vegetables. They are also a good source of iron, folate, calcium and zinc.

Exercising during pregnancy offers a variety of benefits, including preparing you physically for child birth and increasing your endorphins. Though it is safe to exercise during pregnancy, there are a few things to keep in mind before starting an exercise plan.

1. Ask your Physician First

If you worked out regularly before your pregnancy, it is usually safe to continue your fitness regimen. However, if you didn’t exercise before pregnancy, it’s important to start slow with workouts. Keep in mind that light exercise is preferred over intense, cardio workouts.

2. Take in Extra Calories

During pregnancy, your body will naturally gain weight while the baby grows. To help nourish and strengthen your body during pregnancy, take in extra calories. If you have a normal BMI, you should be eating around 300 calories more than you did before pregnancy.

3. Warm Up

Stretching before exercise is always important, but it’s even more important during pregnancy. Going right to strenuous activity can lead to straining muscles and ligaments.

4. Drink a lot of Water

If you don’t drink water before, during and after exercise, you could become dehydrated. Dehydration during pregnancy can cause contractions and raise your body temperature to levels that are potentially harmful to you and the baby.

5. Don’t Lie Flat on your Back

After the first trimester, it’s important to avoid lying flat on your back. Lying on your back will reduce blood to your heart and will reduce the blood flow to your brain and uterus. Reducing blood flow to the brain and uterus can cause dizziness, shortness of breath and nausea.